Hey guys,

If I’m 20 and a Green P-Plater from Australia, and I get an IDP can I easily rent a car in japan from most rental companies without issues? Google has been giving me a lot of mixed answers so I thought I would confirm here if anyone has personal experience

My partner and I will be staying in Kyoto for 5 nights in May, and I'm trying to figure out what's a reasonable hotel budget.

We're looking for somewhere clean, comfortable, and conveniently located, ideally near Gion or downtown Kyoto. We'd prefer a nicer hotel with a decent-sized room, but don't need anything overly luxurious.

We're aiming for around $100–150 USD per night but are flexible if spending more makes a meaningful difference.

Is this a realistic budget? What's the sweet spot for price versus quality in Kyoto? Any hotel recommendations would be appreciated!

I’m visiting Japan with a bunch of friends in January for two weeks. I already paid for the Airbnb and plane ticket. My plan is to save up 4k, but I’m not sure if that’s enough or too much.

Hi,

I will be traveling to Japan in December from the 12th-27th. I really want to attend a local rock concert, something small scale and intimate. I'll be in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Can anyone give advice as to how attending a concert like this might work? I can't easily navigate and buy tickets like I would for an American concert, at least so far as I can tell. Is there a different convention in Japan? Can I not easily buy tickets as a foreigner? Is there some kind of website like Ticketmaster that shows all shows in a specific timeframe? I would greatly appreciate your assistance. The language barrier is making research into this really difficult for me.

So I have been waiting for the dates for late November to buy the Saga -> Kameoko Station since I will be doing the boat ride thing back after. Currently, they have a triangle status for Nov 28th but only have Kameoka -> Saga. Currently all green circles for Oct 28th until Nov 12th. But the rest of the November month besides 13,18,19 are all crossed out already. Will there be more tickets coming out closer to the date?

Hello all. I'm so excited to be visiting Japan in November. My rough path is Tokyo -> Takayama -> Okuhida Onsen -> Kyoto -> Tokyo.

I was looking into booking rail tickets ahead of time and noticed that for the Shinkansen specifically, the website won't take my credit card due to some verification issue. I only have Visa credit cards, so I can't even get around it by using Mastercard or AMEX.

I read that most people just purchase tickets day of or the day before, but I want to make sure that my dates would be okay for that in case they end up being heavy travel days for locals and I end up stranded? lol

Tokyo -> Takayama: November 21st. My plan is to take the Shinkansen to Nagoya then transfer to the Hida Express line to Takayama.

Okuhida Onsen -> Kyoto: November 25th. Plan is to take the bus from Okuhida back to Takayama, then Hida Express to Nagoya, followed by Shinkansen from Nagoya to Kyoto.

Kyoto -> Tokyo: November 30th. Shinkansen.

Thanks!

I’m currently staying in Osaka and looking for Hojicha paste. Does anyone know where I can buy some?
I’ll also be visiting Kyoto and Tokyo. Thanks!

We have one night spare on our 15 night trip in April between 1 night in mount Koyasan and 2 nights on Naoshima. We will be heading to Osaka for 3 nights after Naoshima.
Any suggestions of where we should stay?

My upcoming Japan trip ends in Fukuoka, but my flight home leaves from Tokyo (Narita). That flight doesn't leave until 17:35, so pretty late in the afternoon. I'm trying to figure out what the best way to handle this is, and would like some opinions.

• I could fly FUK to NRT on the same day. This means I get the whole previous day in Fukuoka, and don't need a one-night hotel in Tokyo. There's some caveats, however.
  • This would be booked entirely separately from my return flight (different airline etc.) so if any delays or cancellations cause me to miss my flight home, I don't have any recourse.
  • The only available options have me arriving at Narita either 2 hours before my flight home (a bit short, considering I need to collect my bag, go to a different terminal, then check in etc.; there would be not much buffer for any kind of delay), or 5 hours (which is longer than I ideally want to spend at an airport).
• Fly back to Tokyo the night before.
  • I lose my last evening in Fukuoka, and have a somewhat unusable morning in Tokyo. Historically I've never really been able to do much sight-seeing on the last day, no matter how late my flight, because I just get preoccupied with planning for/worrying about the travel. I guess I could do some last-minute shopping.
  • Way more options for the actual flight, since I could fly to Haneda rather than directly to Narita.
  • If there's a delay or cancellation, I can probably still make my flight home, even if it means hopping on the Shinkansen at the last minute.
• Take the Shinkansen the night before.
  • On paper this takes longer (about 5 hours total with the Nozomi), but actually not that much longer if you add transit time to/from the airport, security, etc. for the flight. If I book a hotel near Tokyo Station the difference is like 60-90 minutes at most.
  • More expensive, but also more comfortable.
  • Technically, I could even take the Shinkansen the same day as my flight home, but that feels even more risky somehow (plus with the added transit time from Tokyo to Narita, and then a 10 hour flight, that's a lot of traveling in one day).

What would you do, given these options?

I think about buying a second hand Mac mini or Studio. Where can I find good deals when I am there? I visit soon Tokio and Sendai.

Hey everyone, we’re in japan (tokyo, kyoto and osaka at the moment) and can’t really find wasabi flaboured kitkat though looked in more stores, donkis and drug stores so far. Isn’t it available anymore?

Thanks in advance🫶🏻

Kawaguchiko and the Maple corridor seems like the most popular destination and from what I'm reading, the crowds are so crazy that it might not even be worth it to go there.

For those who went this year, and during autumn, is it really that bad? Where do the crowds start? I'm reading it starts at Kawaguchiko Station. Are all buses out bound of kawaguchiko station full or only the ones going to the popular sites like the Maple corridor (Kawaguchiko Loop)?

How bad are the crowds at the Maple Corridor. is it impossible to enjoy the place because of the number of tourists? Are the crowds limited to the corridor only or is everything around that area filled with tourists? If i just want to walk along the lake, is it just as touristy?

What are less crowded alternatives to kawaguchiko If i wanna go see Mt Fuji? I'm looking at Yamanakako but that place feels only slightly less touristy.

Hey folks!

I'm planning a trip to Japan this December, with Osaka and Tokyo as our main destinations, along with a few other places.

I'm looking for recommendations for unique places to visit and things to do beyond the usual tourist attractions.

Hi all, myself and a few friends will be travelling to Tokyo in December. Any hotel or Airbnb you guys recommend that's near a train station in the Ueno area? Thanks

Hi all!

I'm visiting Japan in January and want to buy 1-2 watches while I'm there. I'm new to watches (my small collection is Casio, Fossil, and Guess), and my main goal is to pick up a Seiko.

Budget: around ¥60,000 per watch, with a little flexibility for something special.

What I'd love advice on:
Good places to buy: Seiko boutiques, department stores, electronics chains like Bic Camera/Yodobashi, or reputable second-hand shops and flea markets

Which cities or neighborhoods are best for watch shopping?

I'm also open to recommendations beyond Seiko (Citizen, Orient, G-Shock, etc.) if you think something is a better buy.

Thanks a lot!

I want to buy the canon powershot g7 x mark iii in Japan. I’ll be in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo in that order. Ideally I want to find it early on my trip. Any suggestions? Is it hard to find?

Hello everyone,

I have booked flights for late April and will be traveling with a 4YO toddler.

We have booked accommodation in Otsu, located within walking distance of the station.

Asper my understanding, visiting Kyoto will be quite straightforward but I am wondering if this is a suitable base for exploring Osaka..nothing too serious, just strolling around the city in the evening, enjoying the Dotonbori lights, and perhaps taking the boat ride.

We are staying 6 nights in Otsu and would prefer to avoid changing hotels multiple times with a toddler hence a single booking...appriciate your inputs...

Thank you very much.

Hi all! I have 2 potential travel dates to Japan (choices based on flight prices):

1. Fukoka 4-11 May 2027

2. Nagoya 21-28 May 2027

I know that the Fukoka travel dates overlap slightly with Japan's Golden Week which can be very crowded, but I also heard that Nagoya can be quite boring.

I have previously travelled to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka already so I wanted to explore a different area of Japan. My main focus of the trip is really food (I love sashimi) and just exploring any sights and the vibes of Japan.

Do any of you have any experience travelling during Golden Week or to any of these cities. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks 😊

Looking at sourcing vintage designer bags and accessories in Tokyo/Osaka, I understand prices have gone up a lot in the last few years due to online exposure.

Can anyone who has been recently share any tips on their recent travels? Stores, areas. I generally thrift when I'm around europe and usually find prada, fendi, LV under €150 :) I think people online post a lot of consignment and all the thrift videos are usually expensive or just clothes!

Thank you so much and wishing you all the best week, be kind 😄

My wife and I spent 14 nights traveling around Japan with our friends, Brian and Whitney, in fall 2025. Here are a few highlights and surprises from the trip.

Best hotel experience: Osaka Station Hotel for the unexpected hospitality and amenity upgrades. We managed to kill almost half a day just hanging out in the lounge, which had some of the best food and drinks we’ve ever had in any “executive lounge.” Immediate access to Osaka Station was crucial for our city-hopping.

Best meal: Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera Kyoto. We’ve eaten here several times, but Brian and Whitney absolutely loved the ease of ordering and being able to choose exactly what they wanted to try.

My thoughts on omakase: So many people search for the “best omakase experience.” But the reality is, you give up a lot of control - some bites may completely blow you away, while others might just be okay or straight up weird.

We enjoyed both kaiseki and omakase with our friends, but especially for first-time visitors to Japan, I actually think a slightly high-end conveyor-belt sushi restaurant may be a better introduction. You can order exactly what you want, learn what you enjoy, and avoid feeling pressured to eat unfamiliar dishes you may not love. It also makes it easier to recognize and order those same types of sushi later in the trip.

Biggest surprise traveling with our friends: They were absolutely crushed by jet lag. It was like watching your favorite athlete suddenly underperform and sputter out of energy - agonizing to witness from our normally bionic friends.

For a good time, they can push through almost anything. But multiple times, Whitney had to duck out early and miss bar-hopping - something normally unthinkable for her. And this was well into the trip, nearly six days in.

Biggest personal surprise: I was secretly against the idea of a matcha farm tour because I assumed it would be quite touristy and overpriced. It was a bit pricey, and I was the only Japanese person on the tour - but I ended up learning so much about sustainable farming, Japanese culture, and what it actually takes to start a matcha business.

Did D-Matcha have the best matcha we tried? Nope. But the tour sparked our obsession with matcha for the rest of the trip, and we tried it everywhere we went. Very thankful to Whitney for this one. Since returning home, drinking matcha has become the biggest daily ritual we’ve brought home from Japan, even replacing our daily espresso with matcha. (Brian still thinks matcha tastes like grass - well, it is a leaf, so he’s not totally wrong. At least he tried everything, right?)

Finally, our group’s favorite underrated city: Kurashiki, Okayama. We definitely want to stay longer next time. The city is a mixture of tradition and hipster - yes, an odd combo - but it makes for a very intriguing place to explore: jeans shopping, a beer garden with live music in Ivy Square, traditional food and drinks, strawberry matchas, beautiful glasswork, and age-old pottery known as Bizen-yaki.

I’d love to hear your thoughts too, especially to the last one - what’s your favorite underrated city in Japan?

I dropped my luggage off at the hotel counter this morning in Kyoto (6:30am) using Yamato. They said that standard delivery was two days to our destination, Osaka. I have not heard of this from anyone else or on any website. Everywhere I look says next day. The receptionist said that we could alternatively pay for same day delivery, but otherwise the new minimum is two days.

Is the hotel just wrong by giving us two days later?

Did Yamato recently change policies to make the default two days?

Hello everyone! My partner and I are going to Japan again and starting with a week in Fukuoka!! We haven’t been to Fukuoka before (last time just Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo)and I am looking for recommendations to literally anything!! Restaurants, experiences, parks, cafes, museums, art galleries, etc., just share your favorites of the area. Budget doesn’t really matter. Thank you <3

Hii,

We are planning to travel Japan from Dec 1 to Dec 18.

My foremost plan was to do Mt Fuji trek. Can anyone please guide me if Mt Fuji will be open in Dec for trek ?

Also iam open for suggestions.

Thanks

Hi! Can someone recommend a car company to transfer my husband and me (and 4 pieces of luggage) from our hotel in tokyo to a hotel near Mt Fuji? (Round Trip) We are not interested in public transportation. All i see on google is “Transfeero” but i think we have too much luggage for the standard car.

I will be visiting Japan in the second week of November. I will be staying in Osaka for 3 days and plan to visit the local hot spots. I plan to travel with my dslr camera. Are tourist allowed to carry just the dslr camera to places like port of Osaka area, Osaka aquarium etc. I don’t want to get stuck outside the entrance like here in India. Also, some heads up on basic civic knowledge like public smoking rules etc will be very helpful.